Drug/Procedures Used:

Principal Findings:

Overall, 67 patients were randomized. There was no difference in baseline characteristics between the groups. Mean age was 55 years, 18% of patients were women, body mass index was 26 kg/m2, left anterior descending was the infarct-related artery in 64% of patients, systolic blood pressure was 134 mm Hg, and median time to intervention was 3.7 hours.

The mean baseline ejection fraction was 56% in the BMPC group versus 53% with placebo. At 4-month follow-up, the mean ejection fraction had increased an absolute 3.5% in the BMPC group versus 5.0% with placebo (p = 0.84).

At 4 months, systolic blood pressure was 119 mm Hg in the BMPC group versus 131 mm Hg with placebo (p = 0.0062). One patient died in the BMPC group due to intra-abdominal hemorrhage from excessive anticoagulation.

Interpretation:

Early infusion of BMPC after an acute MI improves regional myocardial function. This was shown by an improvement in end-systolic strain, peak-systolic strain, and mitral valve displacement within the infarcted segments. There was no improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction at follow-up.

This study showed that infusion of BMPC after an acute MI is feasible and improves certain indices of myocardial function. It is unknown if patients with worse left ventricular systolic function at baseline would have benefited more from this therapy. While the difference in follow-up blood pressure may have been due to chance, it is possible that this effect could have accounted for some of the improvement in regional myocardial function. Future studies are needed to determine if BMPC can safely improve clinical outcomes.